Method and apparatus for provisioned and dynamic quality of service in a communications network

• US 6,252,857 B1
• Filed: 03/04/1998
• Issued: 06/26/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fendick, Kerry W., Saksena, Vikram R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hsu, Alpus H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HO, DUC CHI
• Application Number:
  US09/034,580
• Time in Patent Office: 1,210 Days
• Field of Search: 370/255, 370/351, 370/389, 370/399, 370/420, 370/401, 370/466, 370/469, 370/352, 370/409, 370/431, 370/443, 370/437, 370/408, 370/254, 709/228
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5667 IP over ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5668 Next hop resolution protocol [NHRP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0478 Provisions for broadband connections

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing provisioned and dynamic QoS in a communications network. In one embodiment, provisioned QoS is provided in a network using RP by deciding to establish an SVC for a sender and receiver. An NHRP resolution reply containing QoS information is received in response to an NHRP resolution request. An appropriate SVC is then established using the QoS information. In another embodiment, dynamic QoS is provided in a network using RSVP. A first RSVP multicast connection tree a first QoS is established in response to an RSVP request. When a second RSVP request is ived, a new tree is created if the QoS in the second RSVP request is not within a threshold e from the QoS of the first tree. If the QoS in the second RSVP request is within the threshold range, a new branch is added to the first tree and no new RSVP connection tree is required.

Claims

1. A method of providing dynamic quality of service in a communications network including a sender communications site, a first receiver communications site and a second receiver communications site, comprising the steps of:

receiving a first resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP) request for a connection from the sender communications site to the first receiver communications site, the first RSVP request including first quality of service information;

establishing a first RSVP connection tree from the sender communications site to the first receiver communications site, the first RSVP connection tree being a point to multipoint tree with a first quality of service based on the first quality of service information;

receiving a second RSVP request for a connection from the sender communications site to the second receiver communications site, the second RSVP request including second quality of service information;

establishing a second RSVP connection tree from the sender communications site to the second receiver communications site if the second quality of service information is not within a threshold range from the first quality of service information, the second RSVP connection tree being a point-to-multipoint tree with a second quality of service based on the second quality of service information; and

adding a branch from the first RSVP connection tree to the second receiver communications site if the second quality of service information is within the threshold range from the first quality of service information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of adding a branch from the first RSVP connection tree further comprises the step of:

increasing the quality of service of the first RSVP connection tree if the second quality of service is higher than the first quality of service.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of:

receiving a third RSVP request for a connection from the sender communications site to a third receiver communications site, the third RSVP request including third quality of service information;

establishing a new RSVP connection tree from the sender communications site to the third receiver communications site if the third quality of service information is not within the threshold range from the first or second quality of service information, the new RSVP connection tree being a point-to-multipoint tree with a third quality of service based on the third quality of service information;

adding a new branch from the first RSVP connection tree to the third receiver communications site if the third quality of service information is within the threshold range from the first quality of service information; and

adding a new branch from the second RSVP connection tree to the third receiver communications site if the third quality of service information is within the threshold range from the second quality of service information.

4. An apparatus to provide dynamic quality of service in a communications network, comprising:

means for receiving a first resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP) request for a connection from a sender communications site to a first receiver communications site, the first RSVP request including first quality of service information;

means for establishing a first RSVP connection tree from a sender communications site to the first receiver communications site, the first RSVP connection tree being a point-to-multipoint tree with a first quality of service based on the first quality of service information;

means for receiving a second RSVP request for a connection from the sender communications site to a second receiver communications site, the second RSVP request including second quality of service information;

means for establishing a second RSVP connection tree from the sender communications site to the second receiver communications site if the second quality of service information is not within a threshold range from the first quality of service information, second RSVP connection tree being a point-to-multipoint tree with a second quality of service based on the second quality of service information; and

means for adding a branch from the first RSVP connection tree to the second receiver communications site if the second quality of service information is within the threshold range from the first quality of service information.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said means for adding a branch from the first RSVP connection tree further comprises:

means for increasing the quality of service of the first RSVP connection tree if the second quality of service is higher than the first quality of service.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising:

means for receiving a third RSVP request for a connection from the sender communications site to a third receiver communications site, the third RSVP request including third quality of service information;

means for establishing a new RSVP connection tree from the sender communications site to the third receiver communications site if the third quality of service information is not within the threshold range from the first quality of service information, the new RSVP connection tree being a point-to-multipoint tree with a third quality of service based on the third quality of service information;

means for adding a new branch from the first RSVP connection tree to the third receiver communications site if the third quality of service information is within the threshold range from the first quality of service information; and

means for adding a new branch from the second RSVP connection tree to the third receiver communications site if the third quality of service information is within the threshold range from the second quality of service information.

7. A method of providing dynamic quality of service in a communications network including a sender communications site, a first receiver communications site and a second receiver communications site, comprising the steps of:

receiving a first resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP) request for a connection from the sender communications site to the first receiver communications site, the first RSVP request including first quality of service information;

establishing a first RSVP connection tree from the sender communications site to the first receiver communications site, the first RSVP connection tree being a point-to-multipoint tree with a first quality of service based on the first quality of service information;

receiving a second RSVP request for a connection from the sender communications site to the second receiver communications site, the second RSVP request including second quality of service information;

establishing either a second RSVP connection tree from the sender communications site to the second receiver communications site or a branch from the first RSVP connection tree to the second receiver communications site based on the first quality of service information and the second quality of service information.